


Roll on Back to that Old Town Road

by Theoroark



Series: Dark Room [4]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Body Horror, Exes, F/F, F/M, M/M, Mild Gore, Mission Fic, Open (but hopeful) ending, PTSD symptoms, Roughin' It (or roughin' it by Rich Terrorist standards), Team Talon (Overwatch)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-08-25
Packaged: 2020-06-28 06:20:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19806472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theoroark/pseuds/Theoroark
Summary: When Ashe offers Team Talon a chance to catch Soldier: 76 on Deadlock territory, everyone has to deal with Ex Drama.





	1. Chapter 1

_“If you’re going to be here,” Gabriel told him. “You can’t look at anything. Lot of… Blackwatch-y stuff around here.”_

_Jack just laughed. “I didn’t come on vacation not to admire the scenery.”_

_“Okay, first of all, you didn’t come on vacation. I told you I was running an operation in New Mexico, you said you’d always wanted to go there. I said okay and thought you were hinting that you wanted a souvenir, not that you were going to fly out the second you got off the phone.” Jack shrugged and grinned and was, infuriatingly, exactly as cute as he thought he was. “Second… you can always admire me.”_

_Jack laughed again and shoved him– mainly in jest, but he also used it as an opportunity to squeeze past Gabriel and head down the gangplank. “Just like, spin me around and point me away from Blackwatch shit,” he said, once he had reached the bottom. “I want to see the sights. The locally-contained sights.”_

_“Alright. Just…” Gabe linked their arms dragged him around the far side of the ship. “I need to leave my phone on, and if I have to go, promise me you’ll just stay inside, okay? How did you get away from work so easy?”_

_“Gabe.” Jack suddenly sounded tired and his smile had weakened. “I wanted to take a break and be with my boyfriend. We haven’t done something like this in… so, so long.”_

_Gabriel winced. Jack was right. Somehow, they were even busier now that the war was done. They could go over a week without sleeping in the same bed now. And they weren’t on the same team anymore and, as much as Gabriel tried to joke about it, actively keeping secrets from Jack felt– off. Not wrong, necessarily, not when Jack made it clear it was in both of their best interests, but decidedly not like something he should be doing to someone who had been his partner. Was his partner._

_Gabriel could feel the whole thing straining, every time seeing Jack’s face felt like some kind of surprise, every time Ana knew more about what was going on in Jack’s life than he did, every time he tried to start a conversation about kids and Jack deflected or shut down. But Jack was here, Jack had flown all the way out here, Jack was trying, and he loved Jack. Gabriel put his arm around his waist and kissed him._

_“Come on,” Gabriel said. He took Jack’s hand and pulled him east, towards a red hill. “We need to get up this hill fast.”_

_“What? What’s the hurry?”_

_“The sunset’s beautiful. I don’t want us to miss it.”_

-

**Two decades later**

  


Gabriel had to give Akande some credit. Akande was clearly, if not nervous, at least far more invested in impressing Ashe than he was in most of their other potential allies. And yet he waited until they were walking into the hotel Ashe had picked as neutral ground before he asked, “Is that really what you’re wearing?”

Gabriel looked over Akande’s light blue blazer and dark purple pants, very carefully styled to appear casual. With his mask in place, Akande couldn’t tell that he had rolled his eyes, so Gabriel took care to put as much of that into his voice as possible. 

“I’m dead, Ogundimu. Kind of puts fashion into perspective. I’m not sure any amount of tailoring can make people not notice that I smell like a corpse.”

“You could wear cologne,” Akande grumbled. An attendant hurried in front of them and entered in the code to the elevator, and the two men stepped in. “Or at least not wear a costume.”

Gabriel snorted. “If she’s anything like McCree, she won’t really have much room to judge there.”

“She is _nothing_ like McCree,” Akande said, quite indignantly. Gabriel smiled, remembered that his mask was still in place, and nodded. Akande huffed but honored the olive branch, and they spent the rest of the long upward ride staring at the door in silence. 

The elevator opened directly into the meeting room, a maneuver Gabriel imagined was intended to invoke wealth, but ended up just being silly and disorienting. In lieu of the standard issue giant table, there was a marble coffee table with two thin couches on either side. On the one facing the elevator, Elizabeth Caledonia Ashe was pouring a cup of coffee from a carafe. 

“Akande,” she said. She didn’t stand, something that Gabriel would think Akande would find insulting, but Akande just smiled. Ashe turned to Gabriel. “I don’t think we’ve met.”

Gabriel could suddenly recall a giant Omnic, a young woman, and a great deal of yelling about vengeance and the pigs as a train left Jesse McCree in the dust. That didn’t feel particularly relevant here. So he simply said, “Reaper,” and Ashe scoffed.

“Of course,” she said. She gestured to the other couch. “Please.”

Gabriel had never had much patience for decorum or power plays, but even he could see what Ashe was doing. And yet Akande, who thrived in boardrooms, didn’t seem irritated, or even particularly on edge.

“Thank you, Elizabeth,” Akande said. He took the cup Ashe offered him as Gabriel watched incredulously. She offered one to him, he shook his head, and she shrugged. 

“Glad we could do this meeting,” Ashe said, setting down the carafe. “Ever since we started working with the Shimadas a few years back, Deadlock’s been lookin’ to do something on a bigger scale. And I know that’s what Talon,” she nodded to Akande, “is all about.”

“Precisely,” Akande said, as Gabriel cut in.

“What Talon does is very different from what the Shimadas do, or what Deadlock typically does. How do we know you can handle the job?”

“Y'all aren’t askin’ us to start an army, are you?” Ashe asked. “You need weapons, and then you need those weapons to go somewhere else. I think that’s plenty in our wheelhouse.”

“That is what our contract specified,” Akande said. “And you’d be distributing in the region, initially. We see Los Angeles as a potential hotspot for conflict.”

“How do you think your people will respond to that?” Gabriel asked. “You may be fine with Talon’s mission, but any deserters or turncoats in your ranks–”

“Only been one person who deserted the gang, ever,” Ashe said. Her knuckles had suddenly gone white around her mug. “And he was a special case. Real piece of work. Everyone else in the gang, they know we’re a family. And they know what happens to deserters.”

“Isn’t Jesse McCree still at large?”

“Not for damn long,” Ashe growled.

“Talon can assist in providing information on his whereabouts and activities,” Akande added quickly. Ashe gave him a grateful smile.

“I appreciate that, sugar.” She turned back to Gabriel, who was suddenly unspeakably grateful his mask hid his expression. “In any case. All Deadlock wants is the freedom to run wild, and maybe some cash to liven things up. And that sounds like it lines up real nice with Talon’s mission.”

“It does,” Akande said. Gabriel sat back in his seat and Ashe eyed him critically.

“Don’t think I’ve totally convinced you, have I?”

“This is a major contract. And I believe it should be scrutinized appropriately.”

Gabriel swore he heard Akande snicker, but Ashe just folded her hands and smiled. “You’re right, you know that? You’re putting a helluva lot of stock in us. You must be anxious to make sure it pays out.”

“Yes,” Gabriel said. “We are.”

Ashe picked up her holovid and set it on the table between them. She tapped the surface and a series of holograms projected out from it: an expanse of rocky desert terrain with location markers dotting it, routes with expected times lacing their ways over the map, and photographs of a facility that Gabriel instantly recognized as a Watchpoint.

“What is this?” Gabriel asked.

“A sweetener,” Ashe said. Then she tapped the holovid again and a lone picture joined the collection of Watchpoint stills. It was Soldier: 76 glaring over his shoulder at the camera. 

Gabriel’s claws dug into his thighs. Akande might not fully trust him, and he might like Ashe more than he should, but surely he wouldn’t sabotage Talon’s position by telling an outsider Gabriel’s identity. McCree couldn’t have known, and even if he did, Ashe made it sound as though he couldn’t live long enough in Deadlock territory to tell a soul. But, Gabriel had no idea who else it could be, maybe Ana had contacted McCree, maybe Akande was shaking up the Council in order to consolidate his power– 

“You’re not the only one who looks into who they’re doing business with,” Ashe said. “I know Soldier: 76 has been a thorn in your side, recently. But it just so happens he’s also a local celebrity.” Ashe tapped at the rifle on holographic Jack’s shoulder. “Stole this from Watchpoint: Grand Mesa,” she said, poking at a dot on the map. “And wouldn’t you know it, some of our runners spotted him and his new friend in the area, a few times now. Seems like he’s closing in on Grand Mesa.”

“What’s your point?” Gabriel asked. For some reason, the revelation that this was purely business didn’t calm him in the slightest.

“My point is, that rifle there is a helluva specialized thing. It was developed at that facility, his is the only one on the street. It uses a pretty standard clip, so he’s probably not hurting for ammo, but if anything were to go wrong with that thing? He’d have to go back to the source to get the parts to fix it.” Ashe leaned forward, her face poking into the projection. “And that’s the thing. My runners are telling me he hasn’t been engaging, just his kitty cat pal, and they’ve been running away more often than not.”

“He’s relatively unarmed,” Akande said, scanning the pictures. “And we’ll have a place where we can pin him down.”

“Exactly,” Ashe said, leaning back. “And Deadlock can get you in and get you out real fast. Anything for a friend.”

“This is a spectacular opportunity,” Akande said. “Isn’t it, Reaper?”

“Yes,” Gabriel said. “It is.” He carefully did not look over at Akande.

“Fantastic,” Ashe said. She tapped her holovid and the projection switched to a collection of documents and spreadsheets. “So. Can we move on to the fun stuff?”

“Certainly,” Akande said. He pulled out a tablet and put on a pair of reading glasses. “On sheet 4b you have a considerable amount allotted to fuel costs. I was wondering if that’s fully justified?”

“Bikes are the most maneuverable way to get through the desert, and it’s what my people know how to drive. Do use a lot of solar cells, though.”

“Surely a car or two would be more cost efficient?”

“We tried that. Got a minivan a couple years back. Think it’s still in a ditch somewhere.”

Gabriel listened to the two of them negotiate silently, his eyes fixed on the spot where Jack’s picture had been.

-

“So,” Akande asked. “Was that appropriate enough scrutiny?”  


They were in a Talon ship, so Gabriel could take off his mask and scowl at him in earnest. Now, he could quite clearly hear Akande snickering. Gabriel had just sat through hours of intense and, somehow, sexually charged contract negotiations. He did not think he could live with any more scrutiny.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Akande said. He was still grinning. “I appreciate your commitment to ensuring the reliability of all involved parties.” 

“Is that so.”

“Mhmm.”

Gabriel sighed. “I showed you the footage from Giza. I very nearly killed Morrison then. I just couldn’t let Amari know how much her anti-regenerative ammunition affected me. I wanted to kill them.”

“But you didn’t,” Akande said. “And you haven’t since. Elizabeth found them again before you did.”

“Amari and Morrison don’t know they should be avoiding _Elizabeth_.”

Akande ignored him. “In any case. It won’t matter.”

“Oh? Why not?”

“Because this time,” Akande said. “You’re not going alone.”


	2. Chapter 2

Akande started the meeting off dramatically, as was his wont. When Sombra walked into the briefing room and saw Gabe, Widow, and a picture of Katya Volskaya being hurried to her bunker, she was momentarily terrified. But then she saw photos of Amari and Morrison, and of the Cuban president, and she realized she was not Akande’s target.

Or at least, not his sole one. “Talon assassination missions have the lowest success rate of any of our efforts,” Akande said, pacing if front of his screen of failures. “Can anyone tell me why that is?”

“Our assassins our too pretty. The rest of us can’t do our jobs.” Sombra elbowed Widow who was quite obviously deeply unimpressed, and equally obviously trying not to smile. 

Akande was merely unimpressed. “The skill of our personnel has never been the issue. What has been is how we  _ use  _ our personnel. None of our plans have been good enough.”

Gabe had been silent before, leaning back, arms folded. But at that he snapped to attention. “I have been incredibly thorough in my planning.”

“I know,” Akande said. “So thorough, the second you face an unforeseen obstacle, your entire operation falls to pieces.”

Gabe did not respond. Sombra reached over Widow and patted his shoulder. “I told you so,” she whispered.

“Not that I blame you,” Akande said loudly, “given your subordinates’ refusal to listen to even basic instructions.” 

“Don’t be mean. Widow tries her hardest.”

This time, Widow elbowed her, her face now somewhat contorted in an effort to convey displeasure and contain a giggle. Akande ignored them both and swiped the images of Volskaya and Pérez away, and expanded the one of Amari and Morrison. Sombra eagerly looked over at Gabe. The clench of his jaw and the little drips of smoke at his crows feet made it very clear he knew she was looking, and did not want her to know how uncomfortable he was. 

“Amari and Morrison have not yet posed a significant practical threat to Talon operations,” Akande said. “But their continued survival is an existential one. We cannot allow them to shore up a substantial resistance to our efforts, and they could prove to be far more popular leadership figures than the monkey.” Sombra was not sure what she was enjoying more, the bits of vapor on Gabe’s arms that gave away his discomfort, or the disdain with which Akande said “monkey.” “We’ve received an opportunity to address that threat. Morrison’s heavy pulse rifle has broken, and he needs to return to the facility where it was developed to repair it. The Deadlock gang and Talon have entered into a relationship–“

“Mazel tov.”

“–a highly beneficial  _ business _ relationship,” Akande said. Sombra enjoyed needling Akande in particular because as dauntless as he was, his annoyance always gave his secrets away. She relished her accurate intuition right up until the moment he flipped to a new set of pictures, and a woman with short white hair and a broad-brimmed black hat came into view. Sombra sat upright in her seat. “We have been tremendously lucky in terms of the groundwork. Ashe has networks throughout the region–”

“Wait,” Sombra said. Her mouth was dry. “Ashe?”

“Elizabeth Caledonia Ashe,” Akande said, with a borderline nauseating touch of pride. “The leader of the Deadlock gang,” 

“Yeah, I uh. I knew.” Sombra fell back down, staring straight ahead. “Just didn’t think she’d be able to keep her position, as long as she has.”

“Deadlock has consolidated power in no small part because of Ashe’s excellent leadership. She was the one who reached out to Talon and proposed our partnership–”

“Yeah, dude, I–” Sombra waved a hand. “I’m not talking shit about your girlfriend, okay? I was just surprised.” 

Akande’s nostrils flared, but he otherwise chose not to humor her response. “The mission itself should be short,” he said, flipping slides. “If we are able to pin Morrison or Amari down, Lacroix will easily be able to eliminate them. But we’ll be running a stakeout. Pack to stay in rural Arizona for an indeterminate amount of time. Accommodations are sparse, so we may need to camp, though Ashe will try to move people around…”

Akande rambled on. Sombra carefully looked everywhere but Ashe’s red eyes. She folded her arms across her chest and slouched down. On Widow’s other side, Gabe was her perfect mirror.

  
  


-

“Do you think we’ll need this?”

Sombra sighed. Shopping with Widow was always fun, because getting to see Widow in a bunch of cute outfits and making out in dressing rooms was fun. But this time, they weren’t in a boutique with fine clothes and tactful staff. They were in an REI, because Widow had apparently heard Akande say “camp” and nothing else. They hadn’t even gone into a dressing room yet. Widow was asking her about a North Face.

“That’s. That’s skiwear, Widow. It gets cold in the desert at night, but not that cold.”

“But it still gets cold,” Widow said. The fleece was a dark purple, roughly the same shade as Widow’s favorite hoodie, and Sombra could sense an uphill battle. “And Akande made it sound like we’ll be quite exposed to the elements in our lodgings.”

“I mean, we’re still traveling with Akande. She’ll probably give us tents, at the very least. But even if she doesn’t, it’s really nice to sleep out in the desert under the stars.” Sombra frowned. “And I thought you didn’t feel the cold?”

“I enjoy feeling pretty, though,” Widow said, her eyes still on the fleeces. “And I didn’t know you’d done this before.”

Sombra cleared her throat. “Uh, yeah, so, that’s actually something I wanted to talk to you about, before we went out there.” Widow turned to her, an eyebrow raised. “I actually might have work with Deadlock before. And I kind of dated Ashe, for a little bit.”

“Oh,” Widow said. She stared past Sombra, fiddling with the socks in her shopping bag. “I didn’t know that.”

“It’s completely done, though, it’s been over for years.”

“Of course it is.” Widow shook her head. “Akande’s smart. He wouldn’t have started dating Ashe if he sensed she wasn’t disloyal. And you clearly think they’re dating.”

“Yeah, and I’m smart too.” Widow snorted and Sombra smiled. “So you think he’ll be cool then, too? With me having dated his current girlfriend and all?”

“Oh no, he’s going to hate that very much.”

“Great. Thanks.”

Widow shrugged. “It’s the truth. Now.” She shimmied past Sombra and pulled a padded sports bra off the rack. “Do you think this will breathe in the desert?”

“I think you picked that for reasons very much not related to breathability.” Widow hummed and as she searched for an extra small, Sombra’s holovid rang. Her heart jumped when she saw the number. “Hey, Widow? I gotta take this.”

“Of course,” Widow said. “I’ll be in the rock climbing section.” With great difficulty, Sombra resisted the urge to stop her. She hurried to the store bathroom, cursing the lack of security she could obtain, and dialed the number back. 

“I told you to lay low,” she hissed, as soon as he picked up. “What were you thinking?”

“It’s not my fault people want my bounty,” Morrison said. “Or want me dead.”

“Did you wear that stupid jacket?” Morrison said nothing and Sombra pinched the bridge of her nose. “Talon’s on your trail now. You need to move in, now.”

“We’re still at least two days away.”

“Christ.”

“If you wanted us to move faster,” Morrison snapped, “maybe you should have stolen us something better!”

“I was hoping you would take a fucking hint from it and stay inconspicuous!” Sombra let out a long breath. “Look. Do you really fucking need that gun?” 

“It’s the only one that can sync up to my visor.”

“Christ. Okay.” Sombra pulled up Akande’s message history and began to scroll through it. “Okay so we’re getting in tomorrow. We’ll probably spend at least a few hours settling in, and–,” Sombra scrolled quickly past a certain patch of messages, “–and it’s still a Watchpoint, even if it’s inactive. They’re still going to have to be careful about any moves they make around it. But they may try to grab you when you’re leaving.”

“Can you hack a Helix vehicle for us, then?”

Sombra winced. “Uh. No.”

“Why not?” Sombra said nothing. “You can’t hack them, can you?”

“I don’t need to be helping you two, you know.”

“But you are,” Morrison said. “And you have a reason. A reason that isn’t, despite what you said, ‘Because I want Amari’s number,” the last part said in a bad imitation of Sombra’s sneer. “So–“

“So maybe since we’re stuck with each other,” Sombra said, cutting him off. “We try not to drive each other completely batshit. Okay?”

Morrison was quiet for a moment, then said, “Okay.”

“Great. Keep heading towards Grand Mesa. I’ll let you know what to do when you get there.” Sombra hung up before he could ask any more questions. She leaned back against the tile wall and ran a hand down her face. 

Someone knocked on the door. “Occupied!” Sombra yelled, very aware she had been in the room for at least ten minutes. She waited until feet disappeared from behind the door before leaving. 

Widow had moved on from the rock climbing section by the time Sombra got back. Sombra found her back in the region of winter sports, with a pair of climbing gloves in her bag, examining a shiny pink ski jacket. 

“I told you,” Sombra said. “It doesn’t get that cold.”

“Yes, I know.” Widow did not put down the jacket. “How long did you spend with Deadlock?”

“A couple months. Seriously, not a big relationship at all, just wanted to clear the air.”

“Oh, I know,” Widow said. “I just wanted to know how much I should trust your opinion. But if you camped for months…”

Sombra shifted on her feet. “So uh. Full disclosure, I only slept outside for one night. Then I gave Ashe a couple thousand credits to let me sleep in her living room.” Widow stared at her, a smile slowly taking over her face. “Listen, do you know what a pain it is to get grit and sand out of cybernetics?! And it itches like hell, too–“

“Mmhmm.” Widow dropped the jacket in her bag and wrapped an arm around Sombra. “You never get to make fun of me for being picky again, ma chére.”

Sombra sighed and leaned against Widow as they walked to the cash register. She couldn’t articulate to Widow, for a number of reasons, how comforting Widow’s unobtrusive acceptance had been. Not she couldn’t tell Widow about half the reason she was stressed, and Widow could offer no help on the other half. So she simply kissed Widow’s cheek and said, “I guess I don’t.”


	3. Chapter 3

Akande practically bounded off the dropship and as much as Gabriel would have liked to have hung back with Sombra and Widow, he felt obliged to keep up the pretense that the two of them were on equal footing in terms of leadership. 

That swiftly became more difficult as soon as he stepped into the Arizona sun. In his former life, he had adored the heat, had sunbathed and worn tank tops to his heart’s content. Now, however, as a mass of permanently rotting cells– 

“Elizabeth,” Akande said. She grinned and shook his outstretched hand with both of hers.

“Pleasure to see you gentlemen,” she said, solely addressing Akande. It wasn’t unjustified. Akande was wearing a low, gauzy wrapped shirt, and light gold pants cinched tightly at the waist– apparently his compromise between practicality and dressing to impress. 

“You as well,” Akande said. Ashe beamed at him, but then her gaze was drawn by movement on the ship’s gangplank. Akande turned back to Widow and Sombra as they shuffled down. “These are the two operatives I spoke with you about–“

“Sombra?” Ashe said. Her eyes were wide and she wore a small, surprised smile. 

“Yeah. And this is Widowmaker,” Sombra said, practically shoving Widow forward. “My girlfriend.”

“And, more relevantly, our best sniper.” Akande frowned at Sombra. “What was… why did you do that?”

“She’s just trying to keep there from bein’ bad blood between me and the blue one,” Ashe said. She grinned at Sombra. “But don’t worry, darlin’. Even if I were upset about you bringing your new flame around here, him not calling me his best sniper would take my mind off it real quick.”

“New flame,” Akande repeated. Ashe frowned.

“She told you we dated, didn’t she?” Akande shook his head and Ashe laughed. “Typical Sombra, huh,” she said, walking over to Sombra so she could jostle her. “Still never met a fight you couldn’t run from.”

“That’s me,” Sombra said weakly. Akande looked at the two women in poorly concealed shock, bordering on horror. Despite Gabriel’s bone-deep exhaustion and utter irrelevance so far, he felt compelled to intervene.

“Can you show us to our base of operations for this mission, Ashe?”

“Of course. This way.” Ashe broke from Sombra’s side and took Akande’s hand, and Gabriel was surprised by the relief he felt when Akande visibly relaxed at the contact.

Ashe led them through the cluster of RVs, ramshackle buildings, and tents that constituted the Deadlock encampment. When Blackwatch had busted the gang’s New Mexico base twenty-odd years ago, Gabriel had made sure his team hadn’t left so much as a piece of silverware for Ashe to come back to. But she had rebuilt roughly the same as before. The buildings the gang used were repurposed existing establishments– a tarp pulled over the broken window of an abandoned Dairy Queen, a series of Deadlock bikes comfortably parks in front of the town’s police station. Everything else was impermanent and mobile, could quickly be uprooted and easily resettled on a new patch of desert earth the second Ashe needed to move on.

Ashe took them to the sole landmark that seemed immutable. Looming over the haphazard settlement, a little ways away but perfectly visible across the flat landscape, was a Southern-style mansion. It was not by any means well-preserved– a balcony had sloughed off its attachments and crashed on the front lawn, where it remained. A window on the second floor was boarded over. But the bike parked in the driveway was gleaming despite the dusty world around it. There was more greenery here than anywhere else, hardy shrubs and a small garden of flowering cacti and succulents.

“B.O.B.’s done a wonderful job with the seeds I sent him,” Akande said to Ashe. He was just audible to Gabriel, as the two had power walked ahead of the others. Gabriel did not catch Ashe’s response, but he could see her lean up and kiss Akande’s cheek.

Ashe led them in the front door and Gabriel heaved a sigh of relief as he stepped into the weak, but present, breath of air conditioning. A giant Omnic was waiting for them in the house’s office, and when Sombra stepped into the room he started, spilling some of the iced tea from the jug on the desk but catching it before it fully fell off.

Sombra held up a hand. “Hey B.O.B.”

B.O.B. did not move. Ashe clapped his shoulder as she moved to sit behind her desk. “It’s good to see Sombra again, ain’t it, B.O.B.? It’s been such a long time.”

After a moment, B.O.B. nodded. He began pouring cups of iced tea, handing the first to Akande as Akande moved closer to Ashe. Ashe typed something into a small keyboard and the top of the desk transformed into the 3D map of the region she had used at the hotel.

“Morrison and Amari have been trying to lay low,” Ashe said. “But I got a description of their vehicle to my people, and the sightings I’m getting make me think we’re still on track.”

Akande examined the red dots on the landscape. “Is Amari with him?”

“Near as I can tell. Haven’t seen her anywhere else.”

“She wouldn’t leave him,” Gabriel said. Ashe gave him a strange look but Akande simply nodded. Gabriel sat in one of the office’s leather bound chairs, next to Sombra.

He had known they were targeting Ana. He had known that for a while. But now that she was so close, he felt sick. He didn’t want to hurt Ana. His relationship with Jack had been irrevocably shattered because he thought Jack had hurt her. But he wanted his revenge so badly, he wanted to make sure the people who did this to him could never do it to anyone else. Surely that was bigger than his sentimentality, surely this was– 

_ “–what I had to do, Gabe.” Jack’s eyes were red from exhaustion and crying, and Gabriel hated him for it so, so much. “You know… you know how much I loved her. But you know how she was–” Jack took a fish gulp of breath, the past tense knocking the wind out of him. “She never, ever would have wanted her team to die so she could live. She never– I just couldn’t do that to her, Gabe. She would have hated me for the rest of her life. Wouldn't you have done the same?” _

_ Gabriel knelt down and put his hand on Jack’s knee. “I would have let her hate me,” he said softly. “I would have let all those people die if it meant Ana could live. Because I loved her. And I would have done the same for you, right up until you said that. Because I loved you.” _

_ Jack was welling up again. Gabriel stood. He couldn’t figure out what part of his confession was making him the most nauseous.  _

Gabriel jolted as B.O.B. nudged him. B.O.B held a glass of iced tea out. Gabriel shook his head.

At least it was cool in here.

-

After the planning was done, though, they left the house. Akande wanted to see the available equipment. Gabriel lasted on the tour roughly until they walked under a tree and every cell in his barely-functional body sang at the temperature drop. Gabriel sat down against a tree trunk as the rest walked out of the shadow. 

Ashe turned to Gabriel as he drew his knees drawn up so that he would be completely contained within the darkest patch of shade. “You alright there?”

“I’m fine,” Gabriel grumbled. “Heat just isn’t very good for corpses.”

Ashe tilted her face up to the sun. “Dunno about that. It’s dry as hell out here. People we kill, tend to keep pretty well. Ends up being kind of a problem, when we have to get rid of evidence.”

“I’ll be sure to tell my cells they’re incorrect,” Gabriel said. Akande cleared his throat. 

“I can fill Reaper in on the pertinent details later.”

“Alright.” Ashe looked at Gabriel uncertainly, then pulled off her hat and tossed it to him like a frisbee. “Here. Keep you from getting all leathery. More so than what you’re wearing, I guess.”

“Thanks,” Gabriel said. And he sat under the tree and watched them leave. About a half hour later, he watched Sombra and Widow sneak out of the armory. About a half hour after that, he watched Akande and Ashe head back to the house. He watched for a while, simply observing the Deadlock gang going about their lives weighed down with heat. And after a while, Akande came up to him and leaned against the trunk of the tree. 

“It actually kind of goes with your outfit,” Akande said, gesturing at the hat. Gabriel made a vague noise of gratitude and Akande snorted. “Everything is still on track, if you’re wondering.”

“I was. Thank you.” Akande nodded. He did not say anything else, but did not leave. “Is something else wrong?”

“Not exactly.” Akande fiddled with one of the ends of his belt. The white fabric had white beads strung on it. Gabriel waited patiently. “Normally I would ask Lacroix about this,” Akande said finally. “But since she is… also involved, in a manner of speaking, I’m not sure I can count on her for an objective response.”

Gabriel sighed, torn between his desire to avoid this conversation and to defend himself. “Widow also doesn’t experience emotion,” he pointed out, giving way to the latter. “And I, you know. Do. And I’ve found that a basic understanding of emotions is very helpful in working through interpersonal issues.”

“It may be,” Akande said, still not sounding wholly convinced. “So. You’re aware of the situation with Sombra and Elizabeth.” 

“Painfully so, yes.”

“You don’t even know.” Akande rubbed his temples. “Do you think my thing with Ashe is… salvageable?”

Gabriel sighed again. He had always hated office politics, and this was a cut above Jesse being mad at Angela for throwing away his pad thai after he left it in the fridge for a week. Gabriel very badly did not want to get involved in any of this. But Ashe had given him her hat, and that Akande was currently casting a considerable amount of shade for him to sit in, so he did owe them something. 

“There are much worse exes to have to deal with than Sombra, Ogundimu.”

“Are there?”

“Moira?”

Akande made a face down at him. “Be serious, now.”

“I am being serious.” Gabriel rubbed at his face. Even in the shade, he still hurt. “You keep Sombra around for a reason, even though she loves getting under your skin. She’s smart, she can work people very well, and she’s driven. I think you can see how if you were, you know, the gender she was attracted to, she could end up charming you.”

Akande nodded reluctantly. “Still,” he said. “You have to admit we’re… very different. And it concerns me, that maybe I’m not the kind of person Elizabeth actually wants.”

Gabriel stared at him. Akande’s face had gone a stony neutral. He was always exceptionally careful to keep anything that resembled insecurity off his face. But Gabriel knew him, and more importantly, knew what it was like when your body made people pity you. It didn’t matter if you knew that you were right and they were wrong, even if you knew it as fiercely as Akande did. The feeling that you were fighting for yourself, by yourself, never really went away.

“She said it was a long time ago,” Gabriel said softly. “Sombra seems very happy with Widow, and Ashe doesn’t seem bothered by that. Both Ashe and Sombra have moved on. And Ashe is very happy to be with you, Akande. I can tell.”

Akande nodded. He tilted his head up to the sun, the glare obscuring his expression. “I’m happy with her too,” he said.

“I can tell.”

Akande looked back down and now Gabriel could see his small smile. “I’m going to her house,” he said. “If you see Sombra and Lacroix, remind them that they’re on call 24/7. So they can’t screw around too much.”

“You got it.” Gabriel watched Akande walk away, and then watched the empty desert he left behind.

After a few years Sombra and Ashe had completely moved on, and Gabriel was still stuck on Jack after decades. It seemed incredibly unfair. Ashe was happy with Akande, Sombra was happy with Widow. Gabriel wanted so badly to be happy, even if he had to be happy alone.

He had been happy with Jack, and that was what made this so difficult. He couldn’t be angry at Jack without remembering how he had loved him, he couldn’t feel the misery Jack caused him without remembering that the time he had spent with him was the best time of his life. Moving on would be so much easier if he had somewhere good to go.

But he had been here forever, and it was making him miserable. Gabriel wanted so badly to move on. It was probably time to do something.


	4. Chapter 4

Sombra sighed as her cheap plastic coffee cup fell off the RV’s narrow counter and onto the floor. “NOW do you get why I paid so much for a roof?”

Widow nodded and held out a roll of paper towels. Sombra quickly grabbed them and put them to work. “There are houses here,” Widow said. “And we’re guests. I feel like we should get them.”

Sombra snorted. “If you want to explain etiquette to some lawless gangsters, you go right ahead.” She tossed the paper towel on top of the already full trash. “Besides. I stayed at Ashe’s place, and Akande’s the one sleeping with her now. So unless you want to proposition them…”

Widow made a face. “Have you seen her rifle? And how she shoots? God, no.”

“Good to know you’re in this for the right reasons.”

“Don’t be dramatic. I date you, even though you have… passable… aim.”

“How romantic.” Widow simply smiled as Sombra got up from the floor and Sombra, easily mollified, kissed her cheek as she shuffled past her to get to the trash can.

“Do we have anything planned today?” Widow asked.

“Of course we don’t,” Sombra said. “Gabe’s going to sit in front of the surveillance feeds I set up all day, just like yesterday. Akande and Ashe are going to fuck in the air conditioning. And nothing’s going to happen.”

“How do you know? Morrison and Amari could show up today.”

“I don’t know. I just know, I guess.” Before Widow could interrogate that further, Sombra changed the subject. “My point is, our day is wide open. So,” Sombra sat down on the bed and smiled up at Widow. “What do you want to do?”

“I want to get out of this box.”

“It’s not going to be any cooler outside,” Sombra pointed out. But she pushed herself up off the bed anyway, and resisted the urge to make a truly atrocious pun about boxes she would like Widow to get in. “You ready to go?” she asked instead.

Widow nodded and hoisted up her nylon backpack. It was full to the point that it’s unwieldiness outweighed any utility its contents could offer, but Sombra chose not to pick this particular battle. 

“What are we doing, then?”

“Don’t know,” Sombra said. “But I got some ideas.”

-

The Deadlock garage was unlocked, because the motorcycles were communal property, and no one could possibly be stupid enough to try to steal a Deadlock bike. Not that they were stealing, Sombra reminded Widow. They were borrowing. They were guests, after all. 

The bikes were all fairly uniform, black and dusty. They looked a little silly to Sombra, sitting flat on the ground on their hover propulsors, like ungainly ducks. But Widow didn’t seem to mind. She walked up and down the row, until she settled on a favorite.

“I’ve never ridden one of these,” Widow said. She circled the motorcycle, inspecting it carefully. “A boy gave me a ride on his vespa when I was in high school, but I don’t think that’s the same.”

“Definitely not.” Sombra looked around the garage. “Do you think she has helmets somewhere? Or is this a ‘we’re too cool to care about brain damage’ deal?”

“Ma cheré. You dated this woman. I’ve known her for two days now, and I know what the answer is.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Sombra mounted her bike and leaned against the handlebars, not yet turning it on. “I just wish we had some proper gear. I don’t want to ruin this tunic.”

“REI didn’t prepare us for this,” Widow said sadly. 

“A tragedy one could never have predicted.” Widow ignored her and Sombra smiled. “Alright, just don’t go too fast, okay?”

Widow mounted her bike and examined the handlebars, still not saying anything. Sombra narrowed her eyes.

“ _ Okay? _ ”

“Fine, fine.” Widow pushed the ignition and the motorcycle revved to life, floating up off the ground. “Let’s get going.”

A handful of Deadlock members watched with mild concern as they sped out of the garage and towards the highway. But Gabe was ensconced with his work, and Akande and Ashe were preoccupied. No one stopped them as they left the town’s informal borders.

Sombra’s hair whipped past her headband, sticking to her lipstick. The ever present desert dust grated on her exposed neural cybernetics. But she couldn’t complain. The wind cooled her down, and Widow seemed far from bored. And the view was stunning– red sand and rock stretching all the way to the horizon, lapping at the gray highway, threatening to swallow it.

She felt a vague sense of deja vu, of being younger and far from the coastal city she had grown up in, and in awe that dry earth could be so bare and so all-encompassing. Then Widow blew past her, far past what could possibly be considered careful. Sombra left the memory behind as she raced after her.

Widow was slowed, thankfully, as they rode up an incline. The road wound up a cliff side and at the top, Sombra pulled into a long-abandoned overlook parking lot, an old awning and bench at its edge. Widow sped past her, pulled a u-turn when she realized she was alone, and dismounted when they were side by side again.

“Better than staying in that box all day, yes?” Widow said.

“Mmm. I still don’t know.” Sombra swallowed her joke and took a step towards Widow, tilting her chin up. “I think I could still use some convincing.”

Widow chuckled and pulled her close, one hand on her ass and the other placed possessively on the back of her neck. Widow’s fingers laced in between the nodes of Sombra’s spinal cybernetics and Sombra vaguely registered that Widow’s hands were just as soft as they had been that morning, when she had moisturized. She remembered the stupid climbing gloves Widow had put on as they had been getting ready and she laughed, but then Widow kissed her. And then all Sombra could think about was how Widow was unzipping her jacket with one hand, gently pushing her back onto the motorcycle seat with another. Getting down on her knees in the dust, getting dirt all over her Under Armor leggings, her soft hands fumbling against Sombra’s as they both worked to push down Sombra’s pants. Widow’s breath on her thighs, hot as the metal of the motorcycle. Sombra closed her eyes, tangled her fingers loosely in Widow’s hair, and let herself enjoy her vacation.

-

It was too hot to cuddle. So Widow didn’t protest when Sombra told her she needed to check on something for work. Widow stretched out on the wooden bench as Sombra walked a few yards away and checked her messages.

>602: were almost there. Hr or so away. Shud we wait until dark

>***: No, they upped nighttime security after you hit them. Just get in and out asap.

>***: Also turn on autocomplete. 

>602: send sec vid things to ana

>602: also no

Sombra rolled her eyes and put her holovid on silent as she made her way back to Widow. “Hey,” she said, and Widow wordlessly lifted her head up, so Sombra could slide her lap under it. Sombra smiled. “You want to take a nap?”

“Not particularly.” Sombra pet at Widow’s hair, aware that Widow was watching her. “How did you come to work with Deadlock, the first time?” Widow asked, after a minute.

“Oh. Uh.” Sombra frowned. “I don’t remember the specifics of how, I don’t think. I knew they had some piece of tech I wanted parts of, and Ashe is smart, she knew my work was worth more than any money I could offer her. But I don’t really remember the specifics. Honest,” she added quickly. “I just… don’t really remember. It was years ago. Sorry.”

Widow nodded. To Sombra’s relief, she didn’t seem bothered. But then she asked, “What was it like, the last time you were here?” 

Sombra tried, she really did. She tilted her head back and stared at the sky through the wooden slats of the awning, trying to think. “I remember what I told you before,” she said slowly. “Hated camping outside, but the night sky was pretty. Ashe was capable but a little full of herself. Whatever I came here for must have been a dead end, or I would remember it better.” Sombra rubbed her forehead in frustration. “I’m sorry, Widow, I’m trying, I just–”

“It’s fine,” Widow said quickly. “That was plenty.”

Sombra nodded and looked away. She could still feel Widow’s eyes on her.

“Is something, ah, wrong?”

“No,” Sombra said.

“Because if something… troubling… did happen, I didn’t mean to make you dwell on it.”

“No, that’s not it. That’s like, the opposite of it, actually.” Widow tilted her head, still nestled in Sombra’s lap. Sombra sighed. “It’s just… I don’t know. I know I remember the important stuff plenty well.”

“Like that time Gabe said Maroon 5 ‘wasn’t all that bad,’” Widow supplied. “You made fun of him for a year.”

“And he deserved every minute of it.” Widow snorted and Sombra smiled down at her. “But sometimes… I don’t know. There are big parts of my life I just don’t remember, pretty much at all.” Widow’s smile faded. “Like, I know I did a lot of shit as a kid, but I feel like I can barely remember anything that happened before age thirteen.”

“Based on what you told me about La Medianoche,” Widow said, “it sounds as though there’s very little you’d want to remember.”

“Yeah, I know, it’s just– weird.” Sombra ran her fingers through her hair. “I know it happened to me, right? I know I lived through it. But if I don’t remember it, than what does that even mean? I mean like, if I really try, I can–”

Sombra stopped abruptly, staring straight ahead. She was dimly aware of Widow sitting up and taking her hand.

“I don’t have the best memory either,” Widow said. “At least, I think I don’t.” When Sombra turned to her, she smiled wanly. “I know right after Talon released me, I had memories of Gérard being cruel, killing children, beating me. And I know now that those weren’t real. But all my other memories?” Widow touched a finger to her temple. “I think that would be the only one O’Deorain would have reason to interfere with, I hope I’d be able to sense other false memories eventually– but I don’t know. And that makes trusting anything I think I remember quite difficult.”

“I’m sorry,” Sombra said. Widow nodded and folded her hands in her lap. Sombra cleared her throat. “I’ve never been able to decrypt Talon’s human experimentation files,” she said. “They keep that stuff way locked down. But I can try–”

“Sombra,” Widow said. “It’s okay. It doesn’t bother me that much.” She squeezed Sombra’s hand lightly. “It’s not that I don’t want to remember my past, I suppose, it’s that– I like my present, very much. I don’t feel any particular need to leave it.”

Sombra smiled and wrapped an arm around Widow’s waist, drawing her closer. “Nostalgia’s overrated,” she said, and Widow was laughing softly as she kissed her. 

  
  


Then they heard the sound of a motorcycle engine on the road below the cliff. Widow pulled back from Sombra and frowned.

“Do you think that’s Ashe? Do you think she’s mad we took her bikes?”

“Ashe definitely would not care enough to try to hunt us down.” Sombra stood and walked to the railing, then froze. When Widow joined her, she silently pointed down. 

On the road was a dark figure, riding a Deadlock bike fast and alone, wearing a white mask.

Widow grabbed her holovid and flipped through it. “We didn’t get any mission updates.”

“I know.” Sombra started towards her bike, pulling out her holovid as well. Her stomach was sinking. 

“Why would he…” Widow stared at the figure below them for a moment longer. When she turned back to Sombra, her expression was unreadable. And Sombra had had time to covertly send a text.

>***: Hostiles incoming. You need to hurry.

>***: I’m on my way.


	5. Chapter 5

Ana was at their agreed-upon rendezvous point– Watchpoint: Grand Mesa’s loading dock, which Jack’s contact had assured him was essentially ignored by the Helix team now guarding the place. Jack approached indirectly, using the large abandoned shipping containers as cover. But he could see Ana the whole time– not necessarily because she was conspicuous, but because Jack was used to following her tattered, black and tan cape by now. She was crouched on a wall, surveying the looming Watchpoint complex. She had her back to him and appeared utterly focused on keeping watch. But before Jack could open his mouth she said, “Did you get everything you need?”

Jack scowled. “I could have been Helix, you know.”

“No, you couldn’t have. I’d know your stomping anywhere.” Ana leapt down from the wall, landing like a cat. “So. Did you get everything?”

Jack hoisted his rifle over his shoulder. “Really hope so. Because I don’t think I can exactly go back in there.” 

Ana snorted. There were flashing red lights all around them and even here, relatively removed from the rest of the complex, they could still hear guards yelling. “Come on, then,” she said. “Let’s go.”

Jack fell into step behind her as they entered the maze of shipping containers where they had hidden their car. The shining metal seemed to amplify the sun and Jack wiped the sweat off his brow with his jacket arm. “Swear to God. Telling Torbjörn I’m alive would have been less of a pain than this ended up being.”

“Don’t be dramatic. It wasn’t that bad.”

“You’re only saying that because you grew up in a desert,” Jack muttered. Ana smiled serenely at him instead of responding. For a second, Jack forgot what danger they were in, and just smiled back. 

Then her expression shifted, first to wariness, then to fear. She reached for her gun and Jack did too but Gabriel had materialized directly behind him. He pulled Jack back so hard the wind was knocked out of him and his rifle was knocked from his grasp. Jack registered being thrown, and Ana shouting his name, and the slamming of the steel door of a shipping container. Then darkness, then Gabriel’s glowing red eyes. 

-

Gabriel impassively watched Jack squint in the darkness, feeling around blindly for his visor. The door shook against the steel beam Gabriel had barred it with and, having failed that, Ana banged on the wall. 

“Leave us alone or I kill him right now,” Gabriel yelled. The banging stopped. He had no idea if she actually left or not. He certainly hoped so. He took a step towards Jack. 

Jack swung his leg out, moving blindly but in a wide enough arc and with such force that he had to make contact. Gabriel’s legs collapsed from under him, and Jack rolled away from the hand Gabriel tried to pin him with. 

“You can’t see,” Gabriel snarled. “How do you think this is going to go?”

“How did  _ you _ think this was going to go?” Jack was in a wrestler’s crouch, not quite facing Gabriel. “Did you think I was just going to lie down and let you kill me without putting up a fight?” 

Gabriel said nothing. Jack lowered his arms.

“Are you going to kill me, Gabriel?”

“Maybe.”

Despite, or maybe because of, the utter lack of security that answer offered, Jack abandoned his stance and leaned back against the container wall. “What do you want me to do, so you won’t kill me?”

It wasn’t an offer, it was a probe. Gabriel knew that there were many, many things he wanted quite badly from Jack, that Jack would die sooner than give him. He also knew there were many things he wanted from Jack, that he would sooner die than ask him for. When he took all that away, there shouldn’t have been anything left. 

But there was. He didn’t want to kill Jack. 

He should. He nearly had, at the Temple of Anubis. Jack had taken so much from him, had left him behind. He didn’t want to be with Jack. 

But he couldn’t kill Jack. It wasn’t that he hadn’t moved on, Gabriel thought. It was that Jack was solid ground, and Gabriel was terrestrial. Jack would always be his world. Killing him would salt the earth, and while that didn’t seem like much of a difference in the desert, the possibility, however ridiculous, that something could grow–

Jack sighed. Gabriel watched him carefully. Jack wasn’t making any moves to attack him which was surprising, given their last encounter. He looked as tired as Gabriel felt. It was a useless, irrelevant question. But Gabriel wondered if Jack had ever moved on either. 

“What do we do here, Gabe?” Jack asked. “How does this end?”

“I don’t know,” Gabriel said, and Jack laughed. 

“You, Gabriel Reyes, came in here without a plan? After all the times you bitched me out for rushing in?”

“Shut up,” Gabriel growled, but that just made Jack laugh again. Gabriel was immensely grateful for the shadows, because it meant Jack couldn’t see that he was smiling. 

“God.” Jack ran a hand over his face. “You could just let me go. And we could pretend this never happened.”

“We could. I could.”

“Are you going to?”

“No.”

Jack dropped his hand and made eye contact. “You’re not taking Ana.”

Gabriel felt a spike of anger at that, that Jack thought he had a right to be protective of her, after all he had done. But there was no point in lying and so he said, “No, I’m not.”

“And you’re not killing me.” Gabriel shook his head, then realized all Jack could see was his eyes shaking. But Jack didn’t seem to need a response. “So you’re going to take me hostage, then. Take me back to Talon as a prisoner.”

“Yeah,” Gabe said quietly. “I guess so.”

“Did I just make your plan for you?”

“If you keep talking back to me, I’ll make sure you get the cell next to the generator room. Try sleeping there. Even your snoring isn’t as loud.”

Jack laughed again, rubbing his forehead. “Christ,” he said quietly. Gabriel stood and walked towards him, one of his shotguns drawn. “Do you want to hear the saddest thing, Gabe?”

“What?”

“I’ve missed this. I’ve missed you. And so I know this is a fucking terrible situation for me to be in. But I just thought, at least this means I got to talk to him again.”

There was a thunk on the side of the container. Jack frowned and sat up, his forehead almost grazing the barrel of Gabriel’s gun. Gabriel turned and saw a large, new dent in the metal.

“What was–”

Before Gabriel could finish his question, a modest hatchback burst through the wall. Gabriel staggered back, losing some of his corporeality in his shock. Jack pushed himself upright, his eyes wide. Ana jumped out of the car.

“Jack!”

Jack ran towards her. Gabriel sped up his dissipation, but the biotic grenade she hurled at him affected his cells the same, gaseous or solid. He saw their backs and heard Ana speaking urgently about guards. Then they were gone, and his senses began to slip away. 

It didn’t hurt, per se, primarily because he was actively losing his ability to feel. Ana had sent Torbjorn’s blueprints for biotic armaments to Blackwatch after Angela had stopped their development in Overwatch. Gabriel had never let the blueprints leave his desk after he realized precisely how harmful anti-regenerative technology could be to a body that was constantly composing, decomposing, recomposing. He had realized what the Shrike’s weapon was after he had recognized the hunch of her shoulders. He had not been completely lying to Akande. He had fled at the Temple of Anubis partly because he didn’t want to hurt Ana but also because he was afraid of her gun. He did not want to die. 

_ “Don’t be dead, Gabe, please don’t be dead.” Jack’s voice was the first thing Gabriel had heard in hours, since the Omnic that had shot him in the gut had presumed him dead and stomped away. Jack’s voice pleasantly cut through the ringing in his ears. Gabriel turned his head towards him, trying to ignore how that small movement sent tremendous pain lancing down his side. _

_ “Oh thank God. You’re alive. Thank God, thank God, thank God.” _

_ Gabriel opened his mouth to say something, but–  _

–he couldn’t form a mouth anymore– 

_ –a spurt of blood came out of his mouth when he did and Jack looked so stricken, Gabriel shut up without saying a word. Jack pulled a sheet of metal over them and activated a biotic field at Gabriel’s side. They must not have fully disengaged, Gabriel thought. Jack was risking his life unnecessarily, sitting next to a beacon, surrounded by hostiles. Gabriel so badly wanted to tell him to leave but Jack would never listen to him, would never leave him behind. _

He had so little control over his body now. But he moved himself, as best he could, across the metal floor, toward the hole that Ana and Jack had run out of.  __

_ “I signaled for pickup,” Jack said. “And you were thoughtful enough to nearly die far from the action.” Gabriel wheezed out a laugh as best he could with closed lips. “So we just got to wait a little bit.” _

_ Gabriel nodded. Jack did too. They sat under their makeshift shelter in silence. Gabriel stared at the grass growing up through the concrete around them.  _

_ “So,” Jack said suddenly. “We’re going to get out of here. But we also, you know. Might not. And no matter what, you came really close to dying today.” _

_ Gabriel nodded uncertainly. Jack looked down at him and pushed the hair out of his face.  _

“Gabe?”

_ “So I wanted to tell you I love you, Gabe. I know it’s– I don’t know if that’s what you want. But I’m just going to be selfish and tell you that. Because I really, really don’t want to die without telling you that, or for you to die without knowing that.” _

“Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Gabriel felt cybernetic fingers reach into the cloud of cells– into himself– and connect with the processors that converted thoughts to signals to his body. Then he felt the hand pull away, and heard more cursing. 

“Fuck. Okay– fuck. Widow, just like– stay with him. I’m going to see if I can get someone.”

_ Gabriel stared at Jack, and Jack met his eyes, not easily, but steadily. They hadn’t done this before. And that hadn’t been a mistake. In the war, they hadn’t had time for anything more than “what ifs.” In the SEP, it had been hard to tell what was actual attachment and what was bald horniness spurred by adrenaline and a thousand less natural hormones. In the Strike Team, they had settled into something more settled, but they hadn’t named it, hadn’t spoken it. Because they were still in war. They could still lose one another at any point. One of them likely would die. It seemed silly to go out of their way to make things harder for themselves.  _

_ But he should have known Jack would. Jack was bullheaded and did stupid shit all the time. Jack risked his life seemingly every damn chance he got, if it meant he saved a single person. Jack never showed any remorse for it either. He would just smile at Gabriel, some mixture of actually apologetic, asinine, and far away. And he would ask Gabriel, “What was I supposed to do? Let them die?” _

_ Gabriel always wanted to say yes. But he knew Jack would never listen. Jack would just kiss him and say I’m sorry and try to make him forget.  _

_ And that was why he loved Jack.  _

There was a flash of purple light. Something rested at his side, blue and cooler than the evening air, but warmer than the concrete. 

_ Gabriel pushed himself up and when Jack put his hand on his shoulder, alarmed, he remained where he was, his head leaning against Jack’s thigh. He wrapped his arm around Jack’s leg, an awkward incomplete hug, and he brushed his lips against Jack’s fatigues. He couldn’t speak, he couldn’t kiss him. He couldn’t tell him.  _

_ But Jack knew. Jack put his hand in Gabriel’s hair and stroked his head, and Gabriel closed his eyes. He had been so close to death, they might both die still. But this was the most content he had been in a long time.  _

There was another flash of purple light, and then something cut through the cloud. It was the smell of a recently dead body and it made every desperate, confused cell in his body snap to attention. He surged in on it as it was dropped to the floor in front of him. There was a very distant, very disconnected part of his mind that still managed to be disgusted and horrified by this. But Gabriel was very far past that now. The hunger was louder than anything and it only quieted when he could skewer the corpse with smoke, invade its nostrils and mouth and suck out the blood and spinal fluid that lingered when the person was gone. 

_ He heard the sound of a helicopter approaching their position– _

He ate and he ate and he ate. And when Gabriel had drained the body as much as he could, he tried to reform. It wasn’t his best work. He was missing a lot of skin, most of his teeth and toes, and he felt much thinner than normal. But he had a body. He pulled himself upright. 

Sombra grabbed his forearm and steadied him. “You okay?” she asked. Her face closed back up the second he nodded but for a moment, he could see genuine fear and concern. It made him sad in ways he didn’t completely understand. 

“I’m fine,” he said. He pushed himself forward and she let go of him. Widow was leaning against the wrecked car, watching them. “Did you catch them?” he asked her. 

“No,” Widow said. “We tried. But I don’t have the Widow’s Kiss with me. And between the guards and the head start they got–“

“They were on foot. You couldn’t chase them down?”

Sombra and Widow glanced at each other. “They weren’t on foot,” Sombra said slowly. Gabriel stared across the desert, at the flat earth bathed in red emergency lights. He recalled his motorcycle, parked not far from here and in the direction Jack and Ana had been running. He buried his head in his hands. Sombra patted his shoulder. 

“Why were they push-to-start,” Gabriel muttered. 

“Why did you leave it lying around at an enemy base?” Widow asked. From the corner of his eye, Gabriel could see Sombra shooting her a look, but he had no grounding to be offended at the moment. He dropped his hands and looked around. 

“You each have a bike, right?” They both nodded. “So, uh, I’m sure you’d rather double up, but I’m still a little… woozy… so…”

“Oh God.” Sombra looped her arm in his and they started walking from the still flashing facility. “I’ll drive. You’ll be a helluva lot more woozy if you go with Widow.”

“I’m not that bad.”

“You almost crashed and died like 30 times on the way here,” Sombra informed her. Widow rolled her eyes.

“Even if that were true,” she said. “It wouldn’t matter now.”

Gabriel frowned. “And why’s that?”

“Because as soon as we get back to base, Akande is going to absolutely kill us.”


	6. Chapter 6

“I am going to absolutely kill you.”

Ashe was the one who said it, not Akande. Sombra made a mental note to collect on that bet with Widow later. Presuming there was a later. Ashe’s anger was always close to the surface, fiery and active. But more concerning was Akande, who usually never let anything truly ruffle him. Now he was clenching his jaw and cold was roiling off of him. Sombra could still collect since it was Ashe who spoke the words. But if they had bet on follow through, she’d expect to lose her money alongside her life. 

“I had a hunch,” Gabe said. Both Ashe and Akande snapped their heads to him. Sombra half expected him to disintegrate again under the combined weight of their gaze. “My hunches about Jack usually aren’t wrong. And it wasn’t this time. It was just–“

“Just that you tried to take on an entire facility and two highly trained operatives on your own,” Akande finished. He rubbed the cybernetics lining his temple as he turned to Sombra and Widow. “You two. Why were you supporting this?”

“We weren’t,” Widow said vehemently and Sombra let her speak for the both of them, well aware that Akande trusted her much, much more. “We saw him, we thought he might be doing something dumb, so we followed. And we were right,” she added. “We’re the only reason he got out of there– we’re the only reason he’s still alive, really. You shouldn’t be mad at us.”

“I’m not angry with you,” Akande said. “I’m just… disappointed.”

“I’m just angry,” Ashe said. She glared at Gabe. “And what happened to that hat I lent you?”

“It uh. Fell off,” Gabe said to his feet. Ashe threw up her hands. 

Sombra coughed. “So while we’re on the subject– Widow and I actually borrowed a couple of your leather jackets for our ride and mine got some blood on it.”

Sombra shrugged off the jacket and held it out to Ashe. Ashe studied it and gave a curt nod. 

“Well. That does make it look cooler. Thank you for that, at least.” Akande cleared his throat and she lowered the jacket and resumed her fierce expression. “Still doesn’t make up for y’all ruining the mission, though.”

“Even if we had spotted them the second they touched the Watchpoint, we wouldn’t have made it in time,” Gabe said. “They were almost gone by the time I got there. It was never going to work but to be honest, I got as close as possible.”

“You don’t know that,” Akande said. “And you almost died, Reyes.” He suddenly looked quite tired. Ashe took his hand and Sombra, well aware of the level of shit she was in, refrained from commenting. 

For the first time, Gabe looked genuinely guilty. “Amari ran,” he said. “So I think she still doesn’t realize the effect her biotics have on me. And they got there in time.” He jerked his head to Sombra and Widow. Sombra nodded. “But I– I am aware this was not well planned out. And I’m sorry.”

Akande sighed and sat down. Ashe knelt next to him. “I’m going to go talk to my people,” she said. “Get a scouting party out. It’s a long shot, but maybe we’ll at least get a sense of where they’re headed.”

“Thank you,” Akande said quietly. Ashe nodded, kissed him, and left. Akande looked up at Gabe. “You’re still very unstable,” he told him. “There are stem cell packs on the ship. Go eat.”

Gabe stood, opened his mouth as if he were about to say something, and left without a word. Akande watched him go, then turned his gaze to Sombra and Widow. 

“You were with him. Do you think he’s telling the truth?”

“Yeah,” Sombra said quickly. “I can pull CCTV to confirm but like– there was very clearly a struggle. And I don’t think he’d let Amari nearly kill him just to keep up appearances.”

Akande nodded and sighed. “Thank you for stabilizing him,” he said. Sombra nodded. “If you could go find him and make sure he’s still stable– I would appreciate that.”

Sombra swallowed a comment about how if Akande wanted to ask Widow alone, he could just say that, and stood. As soon as she closed the office door behind her, she could hear Akande’s voice start up again through the thick oak. 

The drop ship was parked in the backyard of Ashe’s mansion. B.O.B. watched her, kneeling in the garden, as she walked around the house and caught up with Gabe. 

“Akande not trust you either?” Gabe asked. Sombra snorted. 

“Think he might just want to bitch with Widow for a bit, too.”

“Can’t really hold that against him.” Gabe tapped in the access code and the ship’s doors opened. He and Sombra ducked in. Gabe had been staying in the ship during their time and Sombra wrinkled her nose at the dirty clothes strewn about the main bay. 

“Really hope you were going to clean this before we got back on. Like, deep clean. Mopping at the least.”

Gabe ignored her and knelt in front of a small refrigerator. He was hunched in on himself but Sombra could still see how tightly he was gripping the medical bag, filled with a black gel. 

“Are you okay?” Sombra asked. “Like. You’re not going to fall apart on me again, right?”

Gabe didn’t answer for a minute, which gave Sombra some kind of answer. When he pulled away from the bag, it was half empty and his voice was hoarse. “I’m fine,” he said, and then he continued to drink.

“Right.” Sombra sat down beside him. He was too far gone to care about her seeing now. “So. You want to tell me why you really did that, then?”

Gabe lowered the bag. He stared straight ahead, not answering. Sombra watched him as she waited. So she saw the skin sew itself back over the exposed bone. The muscle pop up to fill out sallow arms and sunken cheeks. An ear regrow. The new chords of muscle in Gabe’s throat tightened, and Sombra knew he was in pain and knew she could do nothing to stop it. 

“I wanted to talk to him,” Gabe said finally. “If you all were around, I wouldn’t be able to say everything I wanted to say to him. And I didn’t want to let him get away, Sombra.” Sombra nodded but he didn’t seem to notice her anymore. “But I wanted to talk to him again. Before whatever happened, happened.”

“Okay,” Sombra said. Gabe laughed. 

“Just okay? Not going to try to blackmail me with it? I’m disappointed.”

“What is there to blackmail you with?” Sombra stood and held out her hand. After a moment, Gabe took it and she pulled him up. “Everything you said makes sense. It’s embarrassing but not, like, scandalous.”

“It ruined the mission,” Gabe said. “He got away. I didn’t want that to happen.” Gabe held the half empty medical bag loosely in his hands. Sombra could see he still needed to eat more– his hands were bony, his pants hung oddly on his hips. But he just stood there, staring at the ship’s wall. “I didn’t want that, Sombra,” he said quietly. “I don’t want any of this.”

“Any of what?”

He laughed again, bitterly. “I don’t want to want to talk to him without you all around. I don’t want to not want to kill him right away, giving him time to escape. I want to look at his face and not see anything but an enemy.” He swung his head to Sombra and she took an involuntary step back. His red eyes were piercing. “I just wish I could forget everything about him.”

And with that, his shoulders fell, and all the lines on his newly-formed face and bags under his eyes seemed so much more profound. Sombra set a hand on his shoulder. He wordlessly lifted the medical bag to his lips. 

“I’m sorry,” Sombra said. “I really am. But I don’t think that’s what you really want. And if you want me to–“

Gabe shut his eyes. Sombra took her hand away. 

“Right. Well. If you change your mind. Let me know.”

She left him there, in the dirty, empty ship. The office light in the mansion was off when Sombra passed it. Widow was already in boxers and a camisole when Sombra got back to the RV. 

“I don’t know how Akande even thought you could have fixed this one,” Widow said. “But I think I pretty firmly convinced him you didn’t.”

Sombra grinned and pulled off her shirt and leggings, and slipped into bed next to Widow in panties and an old t shirt. “Thanks, babe,” she said, nestling into Widow’s shoulder. “And I really didn’t,” she added after a moment. 

Widow kissed the top of her head. “I know,” she said, and then she turned out the light. 

-

It was still dark when Sombra woke up. But Widow seemed perfectly awake. She threw an REI fleece over Sombra as soon as she saw Sombra’s eyes open. 

“I already made us coffee,” Widow informed her. “So no complaining. And don’t dawdle, it’s a few minutes walk to get to a good view.”

“A good view?” Sombra sat up in the small bed, blinking and running her fingers through her bedhead. “View of what?”

“You said the sunsets here were beautiful, yes?” Widow tossed a pair of jeans over Sombra’s blanket-covered legs. “Well, this is our last morning here. And I’d like to see one.”

“Right. Right.” Sombra pushed the blanket off and fumbled her way into the jeans, her eyes on the thermos of coffee Widow was holding just out of reach. “I did say that.”

No one else in Deadlock was awake. Sombra watched their sleeping forms enviously as she and Widow crunched through the sand, heading up a small hill. Widow tipped her head back when they reached the crest and Sombra followed her lead. There were still a few stars visibly in the dusky sky. 

“This mission was a disaster,” Widow said. “But I enjoyed it. It’s odd.”

Sombra smiled and nudged her. “The company was decent,” she said. Widow laughed. 

“Yes. Yes it was.”

Widow put her arm around her and Sombra nuzzled into her. They watched as the horizon went from a dull yellow to orange, with pink clouds dotting its surface. Then the sun began to crest and the red sand around them somehow became even redder. Widow took Sombra’s hand. 

Sombra had forgotten many things in her life. She couldn’t remember the name of the first girl she kissed, couldn’t remember her father’s face. Mourning those memories was pointless, a miserable and self-indulgent waste of time. And so Sombra refused to do it. 

But this sunrise, she would want to remember. Even if she forgot, she would remember that she wanted to. 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm [@tacticalgrandma](https://twitter.com/tacticalgrandma) on twitter if you want to talk to me there!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and any comments/kudos would mean the world <3


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